Lawn mower



June 2, 1942. L. T. RoB'ER'ToN LAWN MOWER Filed Oct. 17, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1 v V INVENTOR. d W

BY 9am! ATTORNEY;

lane 2 1194- L... T. ROBERTON LAWN MOWER Filed Oct. 17, 1940 r 5 Sh eets-Sheet 2 3 NVENTOR. d 774% Ma! ATTORNEYS Jum 2,. WM. L. T. ROBERTON LAWN MOWER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 17, 1940 INVENTCR. d. l Baku CI- ATTORNEYS .The lay shaft *20 also Patented June 2,1942

Llitizd T. Robcrton,

Michigan City, Incl, assignor Roberton Manufacturing Company, Michican City, I du a corporation of Indiana Application october 17, 1940, Serial No. 361,527

2 4 Claims.

The invention relates to lawn mowers and more particularly to power driven lawn mowers.

In power driven lawn mowers, the reel or cutting blade is usually constantly driven and the propelling wlieels are adapted to be connected to the motor through some kind of a releasable clutch drive connection. The clutch drive connections that have been used heretofore have not been satisfactory, and the object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement under the control of the operator for driving the propelling wheels of the mower merely by swinging the motor carrying frame about the reel center from a release to a driving position.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ing the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view similar to lawn mower embody Fig. 3 showing certain modifications of the drive control in a release position;

Fig. 5 is a detailed-sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing the parts in a driving position.

Referring to the drawings, the lawn mower embodying the invention has the usual side frame members 4 which are provided withstub axles 5' and connected togetherby tie bars 5 and 8, and

a reel shaft I upon which the reel orcutting 35 To prevent the belts 13 from jumping the blade 8 is rotatably mounted, said reel cooperating in known manner with the adjustably mounted fixed blade 9, the frame being mounted on a rear roller vided with ble driving in and propelling wheels ll each proa grooved pulley l2 engaged by flexi belt it, here shown as a V-belt.

A. prime mover it, here shown as an internal combustion engine, is mounted on a supporting 18 coni nected by a pulley l1 andbelt i8 to a speed reframe l5 with its drive or crank shaft duction pulley IS on a lay shaft 20. The shaft 2c carries a sprocket 2! connected by a chain- 22 to a sprocket 23 on the hub of the reel 8, the arrangement being such as 'to drive the reel 8 from the prime mover at a suitable cutting speed. has grooved pulleys 24 of I which cooperates with wheels II from the prime mounted thereon, each its belt l3 to drive the mover, the ratios of the pulley I 2' and 24 being such as to turn said wheels II at a speed such that an operator may readily walk behind the mower and steer the long handle 25,

The supporting frame I5 is mounted so as to swing about the reel shaft I as a center, and 5 while it might be directly pivotally vmounted on the reel shaft, I prefer to relieve this shaft of the weight .of said frame and engine by providing bracket arms 26, each having curved slots 21 and 28 therein laid out with the reel shaft as a-center and through which the frame bar 5 and axles 5' of the main frame pass.

With this construction as the supporting frame I5 is moved in a clockwise direction relative to its center 1, the shaft 28 and belt l3 are shifted from their full to their, dotted line position, and in their dotted line position the center of the shaft has come closer to the center of the wheels H with the result that the belts I3 are loosened so that they simply run idly over'the pulleys l2. When, however, the frame I5 is swung downwardly into the full line position of Fig. 3, the distance between shaft 28 and the centers of thepropelling wheels increases so that the belts I3 are tightened into driving engagement with the pulleys I2. Swinging of the frame l5 about the mower frame does not in any way effect the drive of the blade 8 and chain 22 since its shaft I is the'center of rotation of the frame l5.

same through the use of a The swinging of the frame "I5 is, as previouspulleys 24, when released, each belt is provided with a holder or intermediate guard formed by a bar 29 and a pair of spaced pins 30 between which the belt l3 runs.

Instead of the above described pivotal mounting of the plate I may connect the supporting frame i5 to the main frame 4, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, by means of spaced links 3! and. 32, the length and spacing of these links being such that the frame l5 swings substantially about the reel shaft 1 as a center. With the above construction the short link 3| may be pivoted at one end on the wheel axle stud 5' and the longer link 32 pivoted on one end on a stud 33 mounted on the main frame other ends of thelinks 8| and 32 are connectedto suitable pivot studs 34 on porting frame l5. The-frame l5 has, of course,

65 been modified over that shown in Figs. 2 and '3 so as to accommodate the links 8| and 82, and

4. The

. of Figs. 2 and shaft 20 which is to each other, of.

frame mounted to swing about the rotation of said reel, a prime mover'mounted the links 32 and frame I! have been recessed as shown in Fig. 4 to accommodate the tie bar 8 which also acts as a stop for the forward swinging release position ofsaid frame. The other parts of the structure shown in Figs. 4 and are similar to similarlyreferenced parts struction upward. swinging of the frame through the handle 25, which frame carries the prime mover ,causes the belt it to loosen relative to the wheel pulley l2, as shown in Fig. 4, while downward swinging or tilting of the guiding handle 25 causes tightened so as to drive the pulley" l2 from the being constantly driven, as shown in detail in Fig. 2, by the prime mover ll.

- From 'the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided for the connection and disconnection or the power from the traction wheels merely by the swinging of the motor and its drive shaft relative to said traction wheels.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a lawn mower havinga propelling wheel and a rotating reel arranged in fixed relation power operated means for wheel comprising a supporting center of driving said on said frame, and means for drivingly connecting said prime mover with said wheel comprising a belt drive connection including a pulley on said frame and a pulley associated with said wheel with a belt therebetween, the tension of said belt being under the control of the operator through the swinging of said frame relative to the center of said reel.

2. In a lawn mower having a propelling wheel and a rotating reel arranged in fixed relation to each other, of power operated means for driving said reel and wheel comprising a supporting frame mounted to swing about the 3. As in the first described conthe belt ii to become,

' tion to each other, of

' pulley associated azaa aao center of rotation of said reel, a prime mover mounted on said frame, a shaft on said frame driven by said prime mover, a continuous drive connection between said shaft and said reel, and a beltdrive connection between said shaft and said propelling wheel and controlled by the operator through the swinging of said supporting frame relative to the center of said rec.

3. In a lawn mower having a main frame including a wheel axle member and a tie bar spaced therefrom, a propelling wheel and a rotating reel arranged in relatively fixed relapower operated means for driving said wheel comprising a supporting frame mounted to swing on said axle member and tie bar, relative to the center of rotation of said reel as a center, a prime mover mounted on said supporting frame, and means for drivingly connecting said prime mover with said wheel comprising a belt drive connection including a pulley on said supporting frame and a with said wheel with a belt therebetween, the tension of said belt being under the control of the operator through the swinging of said supporting frame relative to the center of said reel.

on said frame in relatively fixed relation to each other, of power operated means for driving said wheel comprising a supporting frame, link connections between said main frame and supporting frame permitting swinging of said supporting frame substantially about the center of rotation of said reel as a center, a prime mover mounted on said supporting frame, and means said wheel comprising a for drlvingly connecting said prime mover with belt drive connection including a pulley on said supporting frame, and a pulley associated with said wheel with a belt therebetween, the tension of said belt being under the control of the operator through the swinging of said supporting frame relative to the center of said reel.

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